As we walk along the streets of San Francisco or any other place here in United States, we see different faces, faces that identify a person’s ethnicity, religion, and sometimes personality. America is a country of immigrants either from Asia, Africa or Europe. People from all around the world have many ideas and concepts that associate with the words United States. Some people think of it in positive sense, hence the freedom and opportunities; others think of it negatively such as high taxes and the possible target of a terrorist attack.
Many people migrate here in America in search for jobs and opportunities leaving their relatives and loved ones behind in search for a better tomorrow. Others migrate to escape the wars happening in their countries. They search for peace and security. Opportunity, freedom, peace and security is what people these days long for. These are the American dreams, but as we reflect upon these dreams, we must ponder and ask ourselves, “Is America really the fulfillment of these dreams? ”
Poverty is one of the biggest problems of our world today. We often see people pushing carts on the streets and sleeping under bridges. These people pick garbage in search for food to eat and cans to trade for money. America is no exception. Indeed, America is a land of opportunity, yet recently America hasn’t been that fulfilling in sustaining the basic needs of people especially the poor. Massive layoffs have been occurring over these past months leaving many people homeless and hungry.
Having enough opportunities is an American dream. We all know that having a job is the main source of income for everybody, although, education is one of the requirements in order to have a decent source of living. Having the opportunity to acquire sufficient knowledge that could better prepare a person to face the demanding world is one of the reasons students from all around the world migrate here in America. America is known for having a high standard of education and free tuition for public school from elementary to high school.
This privilege is very important especially to the parents who can’t earn enough money to support their child’s needs. Surely free education and sufficient amount of job offers are an American dream. Early in the spring we see flowers blooming and birds soaring up in the clear blue sky, a sign of hope and freedom. For years, many people have fought for their freedom either from slavery or for justice, but this war still exists in this present day. The freedom of speech, religion, ownership of land and freedom to be treated with equality and justice are but some of the American dreams.
Here in America, all people could express their ideas and thoughts like Martin Luther King. The government is democratic unlike in a monarchy; the people could vote or impeach a leader. People work for their own satisfaction and benefit every cent they earn. The money doesn’t go to a single ruler who is already rich and doesn’t even work. Here, people could also practice their own beliefs and traditions. Also America gives everybody the privilege to own land provided that they have money and adequate income. Here all people are equal.
Whether rich or poor, people have equal opportunities to succeed. Truly, America is a salad bowl, every ingredient go together to produce a spectacular flavor, yet we could still differentiate each component, but sometimes a rotten ingredient is added that could affect the whole taste. In this case, prejudice and discrimination are the rotten ingredients. We could still remove this putrid component as long as people live together with peace and understanding. When people migrated, they didn’t expect America to be perfect but they still hoped for the best.
Wars and conflict between nations cannot be avoided therefore a lot of people migrate in search for peace and security. Although America is sometimes involved in these wars, it is still know as an ideal place to live in for the government strives hard not to affect or endanger the lives of innocent people. Like in the tragedy of September 11, the government responded exceptionally. The government now has double the number of police to better procure every citizen’s welfare. The government also negotiates peace treaties to avoid war.
Although peace and security are not fully attained here in America, people still hope that these dreams could still be attained in the near future. Eleanor Roosevelt once told, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. ” This should be every American’s motto. American dreams could only be fulfilled as long as we believe in them and if everybody tries their best to attain them. Enough opportunities, a taste of freedom, peace and security are the American dreams and the fulfillment of these dreams are in the hands of every individual living here in the United States of America
